Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. UN Women works through its triple mandate which includes coordination and operational actions, as well as working to ensure that a comprehensive and dynamic set of norms, policies and standards on gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls is strengthened and implemented.

UN Women has been working with the African Union Commission (AUC), in support of the African Union (AU) High Level Presidential Initiative (HLPI) on Positive Masculinity in Leadership to End Violence Against Women and Girls in Africa. The Initiative, which hosts the annual AU Men’s Conferences on Positive Masculinity, is comprised of: AU Chairpersons (current, former and incoming); AU Gender Champions; the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) and the AU Commission - Cabinet of the AUC Chairperson; Office of the Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security (Convener and Facilitator) and the Women, Gender and Youth Directorate (Secretariat). The Initiative is also supported by sister UN agencies, civil society organisations, and other partners.

The Inaugural AU Men’s Conference on Positive Masculinity in Leadership to End Violence against Women and Girls in Africa, was held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on 25 November 2021, and the Second Men's Conference was held from 10 to 11 November 2022 in Dakar, Senegal. The 3rd Men’s Conference, jointly hosted by the Republic of South Africa and the Union of Comoros, provided an opportunity to consolidate bold Continental efforts that Heads of State and other sectors have taken towards ending VAWG in Africa including, among others, accountability for the implementation of the Kinshasa Declaration, the Dakar Call to Action and relevant AU Assembly decisions.

The adoption of the AU EVAWG Convention is one of the key outcomes of the three Men’s Conferences. Notably, the 2021 Kinshasa Declaration and Call to Action on Positive Masculinity in  Leadership to  End  Violence  Against  Women  and  Girls  (Assembly/  AU/Dec  819  (XXV)) committed in Article 9 to “adopt and implement an African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls that will serve as a legal framework to end violence against women and girls in Africa”. Furthermore, the 2022 Dakar Call to Action on Positive Masculinity (EX.CL/Dec.1190 (XLII)) committed to “engage our peers and Heads of State and Government of the African Union to facilitate, negotiate and adopt,  within one year, the African  Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls”. In addition, the 2023 Moroni and Pretoria: Road to the AU Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls ((Assembly/AU/DEC.882 (XXXVII)), reiterated “support for the process of accelerating the elaboration of the African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls”.

In 2021, UN Women supported the AU Commission to design a Campaign on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls. First announced during the Kinshasa Men’s Conference in 2021 and later launched during the 20th  anniversary of the Maputo Protocol on 10 July 2023, in Nairobi, Kenya, the Campaign will ensure that the voices of African citizens are effectively included in the continental EVAWG response as well as the entire process of the development of the AU CEVAWG.

It is against this background that the UN Women Liaison Office to the AU and UNECA seeks to engage a Communications, Advocacy and Campaign (CAC) Manager to lead the continent-wide campaign on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls.

Purpose and Objectives

The Communications, Advocacy and Campaign (CAC) Manager is responsible for providing leadership to ensure excellence in joint advocacy, campaigning, media and communications in support of the AU EVAWG Campaign, including the development, negotiation and adoption of the AU CEVAWG.

The CAC Manager will ensure effective documentation of evidence and good practice. S/he will lead the development of engaging visual and written material targeting a wide range of audiences and establish strong and strategic partnerships with key stakeholders at all levels. The CAC Manager oversees all media and related external communications activities and leads in developing effective online social media strategies to engage the wider public.

Scope of Work

Under the chairpersonship of the Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security (OSE-WPS), and the direct supervision of the UN Women Special Representative to the AU and UNECA and working in close collaboration with the Women, Gender and Youth Directorate (WGYD) and the Information and Communication Directorate (ICD), the CAC Manager will perform the following tasks:

  • Provide strategic leadership in the contextual alignment and revision of the AU Campaign on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls, ensuring synergy with all relevant AU campaigns, including ending child marriage, female genital mutilation and other harmful cultural practices, reducing maternal mortality, among others.
  • Lead the development on clear strategies and action plans to unfold the campaign at the regional and national levels in Africa, including for the development of the AU CEVAWG.
  • Design  and  conduct  an  online  strategy  for  wide  stakeholder  engagement  on  the development of the AU CEVAWG.
  • Lead and coordinate effective monitoring, learning, documentation and reporting for all campaign activities.
  • Map the communications assets, channels and capacities of relevant AU departments and partners and make recommendations about how they may be leveraged in the delivery of the  campaign,  advocacy  and communications plan,  ensuring  consistency  to agreed branding guidelines.
  • Coordinate knowledge management efforts and information development and release via all online channels, in particular the WGYD or SE platforms, partner websites and the AU Gender Observatory.
  • Develop effective partnerships for the delivery of impactful advocacy, communication and influencing work across the Continent.
  • Develop and prepare materials for marketing and awareness-raising including briefing materials, press releases, knowledge-sharing events and promotional opportunities.
  • Develop  and maintain a  regular  social  media plan  including  crafting  and  designing infographics, images and targeted messages for social media channels.
  • As necessary, manage media relations related to the campaign including responding to enquiries, developing and managing media outreach plans, drafting material for the media and ensuring that these can be readily used by the media and understood by the public.
  • Develop and maintain close working relationships with members of the Presidential Working Group, Reference Group and Technical Working Group to disseminate information about the Initiative and to support consistent information sharing between participating Member States and organizations.

Duties and Responsibilities

Outcomes

  • Provides sound communications, advocacy and campaign advice to implementing AU departments and stakeholders.
  • Develops and implements a creative approach to communications and advocacy for the
  • AU EVAWG Campaign and ensures effective design and delivery of information products in accordance with overall objectives and policies.
  • Implementation of event-specific, integrated communications strategies to advance the
  • Initiative and partner’s advocacy on EVAWG on time, on scope and on budget.
  • Strengthened partnerships and increased visibility as a result of engagement with private sector, incl. media, and civil society.

Key Deliverables

  • Inception report
  • Revised AU EVAWG Campaign Framework
  • Communication and Advocacy strategies for the AU High-Level Presidential Initiative (HLPI) on Positive Masculinity in Leadership to End Violence Against Women and Girls in Africa, and related interventions.
  • Online and social media campaign on the development of the AU CEVAWG
  •  Information, education and communication materials for a diverse audience

Competencies

Core Values:

  • Respect for Diversity
  • Integrity
  • Professionalism

Core Competencies:

  • Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
  • Accountability
  • Creative Problem Solving
  • Effective Communication
  • Inclusive Collaboration
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Leading by Example

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  •  Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism or relevant field.

 Experience:

  • 10 years of leadership in a similar position with gender-related development programmes, including 5 years of working regionally with women's human rights or EVAWG in Africa
  • Previous experience in campaign management, communication, or coordination for African Union EVAWG or gender related programmes.
  • Proven skills in policy dialogue and in leveraging of resources/building strategic alliances and partnership.
  • Demonstrated media relations experience.
  • Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing communication and/or media outreach plans in support of overall corporate goals, including preparing presentations.
  • Demonstrated experience in developing content that clearly communicates development ideas and experiences for media, web, print production, and audio-visual productions.
  • Competent with relevant software packages, e.g. PowerPoint, Canva, basic design software.
  • Experience in photography, video production and design will be an added advantage

Language

  • Proficiency in English and French is required. Knowledge of any other African Union working language(s) would be an added advantage.

How To Apply 

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided?on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need. 

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application. 

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)